Andrew j



(No Model.)

A. J. SMITH.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE FOR CABLE GRIPPERS. No. 481,431.

Patented Aug. 23, 1892.

Q LEY s 30.3fm.

m: Nfllms versus ca. mom-mum, wumnm-nn, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEicE.

ANDREW J. SMITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLESKROEMKE, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE FOR CABLE -GRIPPERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,431, dated August23, 1892.

Application filed March 25 1892.

T0 at whom' it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. SMITH, of the city of'St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Releases for Cables, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, referencebeinghad to the accompanying drawings,forming a part hereof. My invention relates to improvements in automaticreleases for cables; and it consists in the novel arrangement andcombination of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, anddesignated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my complete inventionin connection with a subway of an ordinary cable railway. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the frame which I employ in connection with myinvention andwhich is adapted to be moved or elevated when the samecomes in contact with suitable devices located in the subway. Fig. 3 isa side elevation. showing more plainly the construction of the pawlwhich is carried by the grip-lever and also the bar for attaching thesame to the frame. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of an electric bell whichis attached to the upper portion of the grip and the mechanism which isadapted to be brought in contact therewith for sounding an alarm, andFig. 5 is a transverse section of the rails which are located in thesubway and the supports upon which the same are mounted.

The object of my invention is to automatically sound an alarm at asuitable distance from a crossing cable or cables in order to notify thegripman, in which event should the gripmanperform his duties he will atonce release the grip upon. the cable, and thereby prevent an accident,which generally results in an injury to the said crossing cable orcables.

My invention further consists in automaticallyreleasing said grip beforethe same comes in contact with the said crossing cable or cables shouldthe gripman or operator fail to perform his duty after the alarm hasbeen sounded in a sufficient time given to release the same, therebypreventing all accidents of the character above referred to.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the Serial No. 426,409. (Nomodel.)

subway of an ordinary cable railway, and 2 the cable located therein forpropelling the cars along the line.

3 represents a portion of the frame, which is located below the car, andto which is attached the ordinary grip 4, the type of which is commonlyknown as the bottom.

In order to movably attach my device to the grip above referred to, Iemploy straps 5,

which are four in number, and when properly attached to the side of thegrip, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, loops are formed, throughwhich the frame 6 of the device is adapted to move and which providemeans for permanently attaching the said frame to the said grip. Thesaid frame 6 is susceptible of two movements, and is constructed of anylight material by being forged or united in sections and said sectionssecured together in any desirable manner. The lower portion of the saidframe 6 is forked, as shown at '7, which allows sufficient space for thecable 2 when the same is held by the grip, as shown in Fig. 1. Thevertical parallel extensions 8 of said frame are passed through theloops formed by the straps 5, carried by the grip, forming a movableconnection between the said frame and grip.

9 represents a metallic loop, which is secured to the upper ends of thesaid extensions 8 in any suitable mechanical manner and surrounds theupper portion of the said grip 4 when the said frame is properlyattached to the said grip and in the position as shown in Fig. 1.

10 represents a segmental plate, which is of the ordinary constructionand forms the upper portion of the grip 4c, the upper edge of which isprovided with ratchet-teeth, which is adapted to receive and hold thepawl 11,which is carried by the grip-lever 12. The said pawl ispeculiarly shaped in order to answer the purpose, the same having anextension 13, which projects in the same direction at the engaging endof the same. To the said loop 9 of the movable frame 6 is looselyattached a connecting-rod 14, the upper end of which is provided with anelongated opening 15, through which a screw or other similar device 16is adapted to be passed, and also through the extension 13 of the saidpawl, thereby forming a movable connection between said pawl and frame6.

In order to sound an alarm previous to antomatically releasing the cablefrom the grip, I employ the mechanism as I shall now proceed todescribe.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4, 17 repre-1 sents an extension, whichis formed with or attached to the upper portion of the frame 6 to oneside thereof and to which is attached is adapted to sound an alarm whenthe ci-rcuit is completed through the same.

23 represents contact-plates, which are attached to i the poles or wiresleading from the battery and in circuit with the bell, and to one of thesaid contact-plates is attached one endof the metallic spring 24, theopposite end of said.

spring being normally out of contact with the other plate 23, in whichposition no alarm will be sounded, as the circuit will be broken. Whenthe frame 6 is elevated, the rod 9 will be brought in contact with thefree end of the spring 24, causing said end to be moved n contact,completing the circuit and soundf ing an alarm, the variation of themovement l of the said frame 6 being compensated for by the coiledspring 21.

In order to elevate the frame fiatthe proper time or at a suitabledistance from the crossing cable or cables, I employ the mechanism,

as I shall now proceed to describe, which mechanism is located withinthe subway. 25 1 represents supports, each of which is composed ofuprights 26 and 27 and cross-pieces 28, uniting the upper ends of thesaid upright.

Loosely mounted in said cross-pieces;

are pulleys or rollers 29, which are adapted to receive the cable 2 whenthe same is re-, leased by the grip 4, for guiding the said cable andholding the same in its proper location within the subway. The supports27 are a plainly shown in said figure. ends of the uprights 27 aresecured two flat bars or plates 30, forming two tracks at an in- To theupper l eline, as best shown in Fig. 1, premising,l1ow- 5 ever, thatsuitable space is left between said 1 tracks in order to allow the cable2 to pass between the same and rest upon the rollers or pulleys 29, asshown in Fig. 5. The lower surfaces of the forked portions 7 of themovable frame 6 are adapted to move or slide upon the said plates 30, inwhich operation the said frame is elevated, first sounding an alarm andafterwardreleasing the grip automatically, in a manner hereinafterstated. Attached to the upper portion of the grip 4, or more properlythe frame thereof, are fixed two pins 31, upon which the looped portion9 A of the frame '6 is adapted to rest when the same is in its normalposition and not in contact with the plates 30. To the grip-lever 12 isattached one end of a flat spring 32, the free end of said spring beingadapted to bear against a projection 33 when the said griplever is inits normal position or holding the cable in a locked position within thegrip, and is employed for the purpose for throwing the said grip-leverpast the center when the pawl 11 is released. Otherwise the same wouldnot fall back and release the cable 2 automatically. When the grip-lever12 1s thrown to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, and the cable 2 locatedin the grip, the movable frame 6 will rest upon the pins 31, 1n whichposition the said grip-lever may be operated independent of said frame.When the movable frame 6 first comes in contact with the inclined plates30, the same is sl1ghtly elevated, causing an alarm to be sounded, 1n amanner heretofore stated, the slot 15, formed in 'the connecting bar orplate 14., compensating for the movement of said frame until the samehas almost passed otf of said 1nchned plates 30, when the pawl 11 willbe elevated,

in which operation the grip-lever 12 will be thrown in a reversedposition to that *shown and release the cable 2 before the grip canpossibly come in contact with the crossing cable or-cables.

The device herei nbefore described, when attached to the grip in amanner before stated, does not in any way affect the two workings of thegrip and has no action upon the same only when brought in contact withthe inclined plates 30. I

Having fully described my inventlon, what I claim is 1. An automaticrelease for cables-consisting of a movable frame, the lower end of whichis forked and the same adapted to be attached to the grip, a loopattached to said frame and adapted to surround the upper portion of thegrip, inclined tracks located within the subway upon which the forkedends of the said frame are adapted to come in contact, a connecting-rodcarried by the said frame and in movable connection with the pawlcarried by the grip-lever, and an alarm adapted to be sounded when thesaid frame is elevated and previous to disengaging the pawl,substantially as described.

2. An automatic release forcables, consisting of a movable frame, strapsattached to the grip, forming loops through which the said frame isadapted to pass, a connectingbar attached to the said frame, a slotformed in the upper end of the said bar through which a screw or otherdevice is adapted to be passed for attaching the said bar to the pawlcarried by the grip lever, inclined tracks located within the subway andmounted upon suitable supports for elevating the said frame, and anelectric bell fixed t0 the upper portion of the grip-frame and adaptedto be sounded when the said frame is partially elevated, substantiallyas described.

3. An automatic release for cables, consisting of a movable frame 6,having a forked eX tension 7, a loop 9, forming the upper portion of thesaid frame, a connecting-rod 14, movably attached to the said loop, aslot 15, formed in the upper end of the said rod, a screw or other likedevice 16, passed through said slot andinto the pawl 11 of thegrip-lever, loops attached to the grip-frame for holding the said frame6 to the said grip, a spring 32, attached to the said grip-lever, thefree end of which is adapted to bear against a projection 32,

2o fixed to the upper portion of the said gripframe, an electric alarmor bell 22, fixed to the upper portion of the grip-frame, a yielding rod19, carried by the upper portion of the frame 6 and adapted to sound analarm when the same is elevated, supports located within the subway, andplates, such as 30, fixed to the upper end of the said supports andarranged at an incline, whereby the frame 6 is elevated when the samecomes in contact with the said plate 30, first producing an alarm andafterward releasing the grip-lever, allowing the cable 2 to fall andassume its normal position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW J. SMITH. \Vitnesses:

O. F. KELLER, ALFRED A. EIoKs.

